Can you wear glasses in a passport photo? Country-by-country 2026

Short answer

For most countries: no.Since around 2016-2020 nearly every developed country has banned glasses in passport photos — even fully transparent frames. Two notable exceptions: the Netherlands and Spain still allow them if the lenses are clear and there's no reflection. Medical exemptions exist almost everywhere but require a doctor's certificate.

Why the rules tightened

Biometric border systems compare your live face against the chip photo. Even a clear lens introduces a small refraction that throws off pupil tracking and distance- between-eyes measurements. Around 2016 the EU and most Schengen countries pushed through synchronized no-glasses rules. Countries that allow glasses now do so as a transition courtesy that may also disappear by 2030.

Country-by-country

What about reflections, tints, or thin frames?

Where glasses are still allowed (Netherlands, Spain), the photo fails on any of these:

• Visible glare or reflection on either lens
• Tinted or photochromic lenses (even slightly tinted)
• Frame that covers any part of the eye outline
• Eye not fully visible behind the lens

In practice nine out of ten home-made glasses photos fail on point 1 alone. The safest move everywhere is to take the glasses off.

Medical exemptions

Every country with a no-glasses rule has a medical exemption path. The standard documentation is a signed letter from an ophthalmologist or optician confirming the glasses are required for a specific medical reason (e.g. light sensitivity following surgery). The exemption letter is presented at the counter alongside the photo.

The simple rule

Take them off. The five seconds it takes to remove your glasses saves an entire rejection round.

Take your passport photo with our AI — we apply the rule for your country automatically.